The present invention generally relates to the field of automated article stacking systems, and more particularly, is directed to a high speed apparatus for stacking books received from a delivery conveyer and accounting for said books and the operation of the stacker as part of a manufacturing data and control system.
Present day printing and binding of books, magazines and the like is a very competitive business and depends on a high degree of efficient mechanization. The printed products usually are conveyed at high speed to a stacking device which forms a stack of a predetermined number of the product on a stacking platform. An operator can then remove the stack for boxing or placing on a pallet.
Damage to the printed product at the early stages of production may simply require a somewhat longer press run, thus requiring only a little additional labor and materials. However, because print product production is not continuous, product damage near the end of the process is more serious. If not avoided, such product damage may require an additional production run for re-printing or re-binding of additional material required to meet obligations for the delivery of specific quantities of printed products.
Such re-printing and re-bindings are significantly more expensive than the cost of producing good product in a single production run. It is therefore, quite desirable to minimize, to the greatest extent possible, damage to otherwise good product resulting from the preparation of finished product for shipment.